Yreka High School Football: Miners gain on-field experience

There was an electricity in the air Saturday morning at the Yreka Miners annual Red and White varsity football scrimmage.

After all, this was the first time this year the team was able to take the field at Miner Stadium and see some game action.

Yreka opened fall practice on Monday and has worked hard each and every day to become better each time out and be ready to play when the season begins.

Yreka, which went 7-4 last season, opens the year on Aug. 30 against Trinity High in Weaverville.

The scrimmage began around 8 a.m. and concluded around 10 a.m.

Normally at the scrimmage, teams are divided up and face off against one another. This year was different, as the offense faced off against the defense.

Coaches on the field closely monitored plays as they gave hands-on instruction to players between plays.

Coaches shouted words of encouragement when there was a terrific tackle or a long run and had constructive criticism if there was something that did not occur to their liking.

It was obvious the players were excited to be out playing football again.

A wide smile showed through the helmet of a Miners player as he smiled as he left the field and said to one of his teammates "hey, this is fun."

Head coach Orlyn Culp said that the scrimmage is a terrific way for the entire team to see live game action, especially players new to varsity this year.

"It's vital for them to see the field and get a taste for what live game action will be like," he said.

"It's very competitive and very physical," Culp said about varsity football and said that it's good for the younger players to see early on what it takes to play on this level.

Culp said that he was quite pleased with how the Miner defense performed on Saturday and how they consistently played at a high level. He liked the way they battled, played aggressively and made plays.

He was also happy with the offense overall.

Culp said that he liked the way the offensive line performed and got better as the game wore on.

Culp likes to have the Red and White event early in the morning to beat the heat of the day and give the kids the rest of the Saturday to enjoy the day, he added.